After making a batch of homemade chicken broth, usually with one of my backyard chickens or organic drumsticks, I like to make use of the chicken meat in different ways – enchiladas, chicken salad sandwiches, chili, or tossed into pasta dishes. In my family, we don’t usually cook a lot of pasta; however, now that Jovial has an incredible line of gluten free and einkorn pasta, I’ve been making more if it at home. Let me tell you, we’ve all been enjoying it and I appreciate that Jovial’s einkorn pasta is filled with protein, vitamins, and 3 times less gluten than modern varieties of wheat. (If you’d like to read why my family uses einkorn for all of our baking needs, please visit my post, The Tangled Web of Bread.)
After a rich and savory batch of homemade chicken broth, I made a butternut squash, creamy chicken pasta with the leftover meat and decided to add some butternut squash puree and sage to tie in the season. It’s comfort and simply delightful to enjoy over a hot cup of tea.
Cheers to good pasta!
Butternut Squash, Creamy Chicken Pasta. A comforting dish made with einkorn pasta, butternut squash, and sage.
Ingredients:
- 12oz package of penne pasta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 white onion, diced (about one cup)
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup butternut squash puree
- 1/2 cup whole cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese or parmesano
- 1 tsp large granule salt
- 1/4 tsp of fresh cracked pepper
- 2 cups, cooked chicken chopped or shredded into bite sized pieces
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, julienned
Method:
- In a large dutch oven pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 3 tbls of salt and cook the penne pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, place the pasta in a large serving bowl.
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion just begins to turn transluscent; 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the flour and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the flour starts to brown.
- Whisk in the chicken broth, bring to a gentle simmer and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens into a rich roux. Add the butternut squash puree, whole cream, pecorino romano cheese (or parmesano), salt, and pepper. Continue to stir for a few more minutes so the flavors can meld and develop.
- Once the butternut sauce is complete, pour it over the cooked pasta, add the cooked chicken and 1 tbsp of fresh sage; mix through.
- Garnish with freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, fresh sage, and a few sliced pieces of roasted butternut squash.
Have you ever made a butternut squash, creamy chicken pasta? How do you usually use chicken meat after making a batch of homemade broth?
How big (weight) was the squash you used? Thank you!
This looks like an amazing comfort dish! I love using the einkorn pasta too!
I would love to make this, however dairy free. So what I usually do to make the cream sauce is to liquefy this in a blender — I pour in almond milk half way, S&P, 1/4 C cashews, 1/4 C rice flour and dried onions…and then stir over medium heat until thickened. Would this work in place of the dairy?
I’m sure it would, Jennifer! Give it a try and let us know. 😀